“It was bad, because the bandits would come, and

we would fight them…During those days, you

really slept with your shoes on your feet. But now,

we have Sera Conservancy, now we are free

move, and our animals are free to go anywhere in

those areas, and that’s the goodness we have

seen”. Samburu woman, Northern Kenya

Impact Evaluation“the systematic process of measuring the intended and unintended causal effects of conservation interventions, with emphasis upon long-term impacts on ecological and social conditions”

Mascia et al. 2014

Positive MPA impact

Negative MPA impactVariable MPA impacts

Teluk Cenderawasih National Park Teluk Mayalibit MPABlue line represents average treatment effects (ATT) converted to standardized mean differences. Abadie-Imbens standard errors (converted to standardized mean differences) shaded in pale blue.

MPA social impacts across five human well-being domains

Education

Political empowerment

Impact Evaluation Guidance for the Conservation Sector

When to evaluate impact?

How to design an impact evaluation?

How to commission an impact evaluation?

How to manage an impact evaluation?How to analyze and interpret impact evaluation findings?

How to make decisions based onIE evidence?

How to communicate IE findings to key audiences?

When To Evaluate? The Power, Potential and Pitfalls of Impact Evaluation in Conservation

Louise Glew, World Wildlife Fund US

Madeleine Bottrill, Conservation International

Mascia et al. 2014